Family HEMIPSOCIDAE

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Introduction

Hemipsocidae are a small family of two genera and 17 species, only one of which has been recorded from Australia, and a second from Christmas Island (Smithers 1995). They are found mainly in dried leaves or under bark. When disturbed they tend to be unusually active for psocopterans and sometimes tumble about in an apparently uncoordinated manner.

Hemipsocids have 13-segmented antennae and 2-segmented tarsi; the claws have a tooth and the pulvillus is broad. The forewing is unusual in that the media is simply divided and the areola postica connected to the media by a crossvein, which gives an immediately recognisable appearance to the hind part of the wing; the setae on the veins arise from dark spots in several species which also gives them a very characteristic appearance. The gonapophyses are complete but very lightly sclerotised in many cases, with the ventral and dorsal valves broad and pointed. The external valve is very large and triangular with few setae. The phallosome is very simple, lightly sclerotised, in the form of a posteriorly open frame with two extremely lightly sclerotised bulbous lobes posteriorly or with a lightly sclerotised rugose bulb between the arms of the frame. The eggs are reported to be smooth and encrusted with debris.

General References

Mockford, E.L. 1993. North American Psocoptera (Insecta). Fauna and Flora Handbook No. 10. Gainesville, Florida : Sandhill Crane Press pp. i-xviii 455.

Smithers, C.N. 1995. Psocoptera (Insecta) of Christmas Island. Invertebrate Taxonomy 9: 529-561

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